The four-type HPV vaccine GardasilÂ® demonstrates real life benefits

Results from an observational study in Australia establish that after only one year of a comprehensive vaccination programme with the four-type (6,11,16,18) human papillomavirus (HPV) GardasilÂ® major benefits are already being seen. The study results will be presented at the 25th International Papillomavirus Conference â€“ IPV â€“ in MalmÃ¶, Sweden.

The study compared the proportion of genital warts diagnoses in the total number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre before and after the introduction of vaccination with GardasilÂ® and documents a 48 % decline in this proportion only one year after vaccination (in women younger than 28 years).

“Our data suggest that a relatively rapid and marked reduction in the population prevalence of genital warts among vaccinated women may be achievable through an HPV vaccination program targeting women. Our data also supports some potential benefit being conferred to men. They seem to confirm the hypothesis that the vaccination of women reduces the transmission of the virus to men”, says Professor Christopher Fairley at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Australia has distributed GardasilÂ® since April 2007 to school girls between 12 and 18 years and since July 2007 to women less than 26 years of age outside of the school based programme. The coverage rate in the region where the study took place is between 65 % and 75 %.

“The reduction in genital warts diagnoses is already an important benefit in itself for both women and health authorities investing in HPV vaccination programmes with GardasilÂ®. In addition, it is a significant marker of the whole range of benefits that a vaccination programme with GardasilÂ® is expected to provide, including reduced cervical cancer and cervical, vulvar and vaginal pre-cancer, says Bennett Lee, Director Medical Affairs for GardasilÂ® at Sanofi Pasteur MSD.”
GardasilÂ® is the only four-type (6,11,16,18) HPV vaccine. In addition to unsurpassed and sustained cervical cancer protection, GardasilÂ® can protect from cervical, vulvar and vaginal pre-cancer, and from genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. These four types together cause the vast majority of HPV-related genital diseases. , ,
GardasilÂ® is now approved in 109 countries and 44 million doses have been distributed worldwide (by the end of March 2009).HPV vaccination is now recommended in 18 of the 19 European countries in which Sanofi Pasteur MSD markets GardasilÂ®, and is funded or due to be funded soon in 16 of them . HPV vaccination is also recommended and funded in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

There is a new book on the HPV vaccine: The HPV Vaccine Controversy- Sex, Cancer, God and Politics which gives an overview of HPV infections and an unbiased opinion of the vaccines. It is authored by Shobha S. Krishnan, M.D, Barnard college, Columbia University. The book is available at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com and is written without the influence of any pharmaceutical companies or special interest groups. Link to the book: http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C35011.aspx